Kurukkan Noodles Upma (Ragi/Finger Millet)

Kurukkan noodles are made with red finger millet – It is highly nutritive with a high protein content. I have almost completely switched to making ragi Idlis & dosais at home. For some reason though, these noodles are NOT easily available in the Indian stores around where I live. So I have had to ask my mother-in-law to bring some for me from Canada. Ragi by itself has a slightly nutty taste like quinoa and needs no dressing up – But it is always good to throw in a vegetable or two to make it even more nutritious. My little one loves baby carrots, so i chopped a few up and added it to my upma –
Upma the dish always brings to mind 2 people – One is my dad – he said the measure of a good cook is to be able to make a “rava or cream of wheat upma without any knots in it – soft, smooth and delicious – That has always stuck in my head and I do pride myself on making it just the way he likes it – sadly he didn’t lived long enough to visit my home, see my as a married woman except during the wedding – But I do dedicate all my Rava Upmas to him
As for the second person, it is my husband’s grandma – Paati – We’d been to Thirunelveli to visit her one time in 2000 during the millennium and at her age she was a mighty sprightly lady, drawing water from the well at 4 AM to heat water for us to bathe. She made us a Daliya or Cracked Wheat Upma – It was fragrant with lots of ghee (:) hospitality is meant to fatten you up, right? She had also added some freshly grated coconut (this is Thirunelveli afterall, so no dearth for fresh coconuts) and I LOVED a dish that I had hitherto always resisted.

My mother-in-law introduced me to these noodles – and ever since we have loved it. This upma joins the ranks of the bigwigs in the Upma category – Rava, Vermicelli, arusi, daliya and yours truly Ragi
SO easy to make and So light and wonderful on the stomach.

Prepration
They come in packs
1 use a whole pack for family of 5 and some leftovers – but half should suffice if it is a lunch/brunch dish
and # of persons of course.

Like upma, temper in 2 tsp of oil of choice some mustard seeds, asafetida, urad dal and curry leaves and 1-2 green chilies – depending on their intensity.Once the mustard splutters and the urad turns golden, add 3 cups of water with some saltBring to boil before adding the noodles (I do not roast them)All the ingredients are in now so all it needs is to cook so keep it closed and the heat in mediumThis will take about 7-10 minutes.Around the 7th minute, open the lid and allow the excess water to evaporateI always like some nuts in my upmas so I think I added cashews or chipped almondsDrizzle 2 tsp of either sesame oil or olive oil or butter on the top and give it one stir before serving. I made some red bell pepper chutney to go with it. I had also made vadais that day – can get a peek of it on the plate